


What we are pt 7

by AXEe



Series: What we are [7]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Angst, F/F, F/M, Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-22
Updated: 2017-01-23
Packaged: 2018-09-19 04:16:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9418127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AXEe/pseuds/AXEe
Summary: Beware the hunters.  AU of "Manhunter"





	1. At Three AM Only A Favorite Snack Will Do

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Welcome to Part SEVEN of What we are!! (Hooray!) I hope everybody enjoyed Part Six, up now, more General Danvers, more Karolsen, and lots of action and angst!

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

And I did cartwheels in your honor  
Dancing on tiptoes  
My own secret ceremonials  
Before the service began  
In the graveyard doing handstands

\--Florence + the Machine: “Only If For a Night”  
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**Alex**

“You know, you don’t look all that dangerous when you’re stuffing Chocos in your face” I said as I walked into J’onn’s cell, he chuckled as he happily dug into the party-sized bag of mini Chocos I’d asked Astra to drop off earlier

“How did you know these are my favorite?’ he wondered as he popped another cookie into his mouth

“You eat them at three AM,” I pointed out “at three AM only a favorite snack will do” he smirked

“You need to stop doing this, Alex” he warned

“I like taking care of you for once” I told him, he shook his head

“My mission as Hank Henshaw was to protect you” he said, I shrugged

“Missions change” I reminded him

“Not this one. Which is why I’m telling you, you need to distance yourself, both you and Astra. Stop visiting me, tell Astra to stop bringing me cookies,” he waved the cookie bag for emphasis “just say you never knew about me,” he bowed his head “say I betrayed you” I shook my head

“I would never do that”

“There has to be a reckoning, Alex,” he told me firmly “an alien lied and took control of a government agency. This doesn’t end in people getting fired, or even going to jail. People get disappeared for this sort of thing. They’re going to tear this place apart looking for whoever helped me”

“Then I’ll lie,” I said “I’ll convince, I will do everything that you taught me to do, but I am not _abandoning_ : you,” I took a breath, trying to keep my emotions in check “ _this_ is rock bottom, and I know the kind of person I'm going to be” the doors to cell suddenly opened, Astra leaned in

“Alex, you need to get out here, now” she said firmly  
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**Alex**

When I walked into Command with Astra I found that every person in the room had lined up single-file and was being questioned and patted down by a bunch of people in full camouflage

“Major Lane” Astra acknowledged, I blinked at the sight of Lucy in full dress uniform, she nodded politely at Astra and me

“Agent Danvers, Agent In-ze” she acknowledged, looking uncomfortable, she didn’t want to be here, but she was doing her job anyway

“What brings you by the DEO?” Astra wondered

“She’s with me” we turned to see man in full Marine Corps dress uniform standing there, he was clearly in charge of this little operation

“And who are you?” I asked, I didn’t like the looks of this guy, he had the air of a middle-tier bureaucrat, someone who had to fight his way to the top and was now dangerous as a result, because he learned early to do whatever it took to get his way

“Colonel James Harper, United States Marines Corps” he introduced himself

“The Pentagon has ordered a joint taskforce to investigate J’onn J’onzz’s infiltration of this agency” Lucy explained, her tone all business

“They want to know what he’s done and who knew about it,” Col. Harper added, an aroggent swagger in his walk “so everyone here will be interviewed, all activates, all communications scrutinized”

“Sounds like a witchhunt” I muttered

“This is an internal investigation,” Harper sneered “done by the book to indentify, remove, and ultimately prosecute enemies of the state” he explained

“And you Major, you’re here to…protect our civil liberties?” Astra wondered

“She’s here,” Harper began “because this investigation required someone who knew the players involved, someone the government could trust to cut thought the subterfuge”

“The Pentagon is concerned that everyone here may have been compromised by him,” Lucy explained “you should be too” she warned

“Which is why we need to know who knew what when,” Harper explained “and uncover anything that J’onn J’onzz and his confederates were planning,” he fixed Astra with a glare “we’ll deal with the question of your loyalty later,” he sneered, he gestured to one of the Marines buzzing around the room “take the Martian to the interrogation room, we’ll start with him” he ordered

“Now that was interesting” Astra muttered as Harper and Lucy marched off

“What was?” I asked, she nodded towards them

“Lucy, she said ‘the pentagon is concerned’ that everyone may have been compromised by J’onn, not _I_ ” I frowned at her

“You think she knows more than she’s letting on?”

“I think she doesn’t want to be here anymore than we do”


	2. Q & A

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double update!

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**Alex**

“They’ve been in there for hours” I groaned

“We have to get in there!” Kara hissed

“And implicate ourselves as accessories?” Astra asked rhetorically “we won’t be any good to him if they lock us in with him”

“I’d like to see them _try_ and lock me up” Kara growled

“Easy,” I warned “Harper’s already suspicious of everyone here to begin with, the last thing we need is you going postal on him,” I nodded back to the screen “now, can either of you hear anything?” they both tilted their heads, listening, but then they both jumped and rubbed at their ears, wincing “what is it? What’s wrong?” I asked

“Ah,” Kara took a breath “it’s, I don’t know”

“They’re blocking us” Astra snarled

“Wonderful” I muttered

“Alex,” Astra nodded to the screen “look” I turned, Harper was now standing up, speaking to J’onn, his movements sharp, angry, Lucy stood up as well, a Marine entering the room and swiftly cuffing J’onn

“We’re on the move!” I hurried down the corridor, Astra and Kara hot on my heels “where are you taking him?” I demanded as they led J’onn out the room, enough chains wrapped around him for four prisoners

“Hey, you need to step back” Harper warned

“I have worked for this man for two years, he’s never endangered this planet, he’s protected it” I explained

“Two years?” Harper mocked “this alien is over three hundred years old, two years is like a coffee break for him”

“He’s saved my life more times than I can count;” I explained “he is the best, most honorable man I know”

“He’s not a man” Harper scoffed

“ _Where are you taking him?!_ ” Astra demanded, her tone sharp and authoritative

“Where he belongs,” Harper snapped, gesturing for the Marines to keep going “and Danvers, since you care so much, you’re next”  
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**Alex**

“You were Director Henshaw’s right hand for the past two years,” Harper began as the technician finished attaching the polygraph to the laptop on the table “I’m surprised he kept you in the dark. Or that you allowed yourself to be kept in the dark” I nodded to the polygraph. Interesting legal fact, a lie detector isn’t admissible in court, it can only be used to establish reasonable doubt

“Turn it on. Ask your questions. I’ve got nothing to hide” I told him, keeping my voice and body language steady, falling back on my training to beat lie detectors. Harper smirked

“We’ll see about that” he said, Lucy turned on the laptop

“Is your name ‘Alexandra Danvers’?”

“Alex, yes” I answered, she glanced at the laptop and nodded at Harper

“Did you know that Hank Hemshaw was being impersonated by an alien criminal when you were recruited?” he asked

“He’s not a criminal”

“Answer the question, Agent Danvers” Lucy snapped, but there something in her tone, a hint of protectiveness, she was trying to protect me, I realized. I turned back to Harper

“No, I did not know that Hank Hensahw was being impersonated by an alien _refugee_ when I was recruited by the DEO,” I explained “the man who recruited me, the man that I believed to be Hank Henshaw, he saved my life…”  
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

“Hank Henshaw, or J’onn J’onzz, or whatever you want to call him gave me a home, a purpose,” I explained once I’d finished describing what my life had been like before the DEO “I served under him with honor, and I am proud of that,” I explained “you’re the ones who should be ashamed of yourselves” I hid my smirk as Lucy looked away, ashamed to be a part of this I realized

“Well, that’s all very heartwarming,” Harper sneered “but that still doesn’t answer the million dollar question: did you know that Hank was an alien when you were recruited?”

“No” I stated, Lucy glanced back at the monitor and then nodded. Harper sighed

“Well, congratulations, Agent Danvers,” he began, clearly disappointed “the only thing you’re guilty of is being duped, which makes you a terrible agent, but lucky for you not a criminal”

“I think we have everything we need,” Lucy said, unhooking me from the polygraph “I’m sure Agent Danvers has other things to attend to”

“One more question,” Harper said suddenly “what is your relationship with Astra In-ze?”

“We’re colleagues,” I answered, keeping my body language neutral “roommates too, if that matters”

“Really?” he asked, a sudden confidence in his body language “because right here,” he opened the file folder in front of him and pulled out a photo “...you look like more than friends,” I felt my blood go cold as I took in the picture. It had clearly been taken with a telephoto lens from the building across from my apartment, Astra and I were _intertwined_ I guess is the only way I could describe it, I had one hand fisted in her hair and she had a hand under my shirt while her other hand curled around the back of my neck.

I looked up at Lucy who looked just as shocked as I felt. Harper just looked smug “nice try,” he said “you almost had me convinced. You’re under arrest”  
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**Astra**

“Hey!” Kara bellowed out as we marched down the corridor “what the hell is going on? Where are you taking her?” she demanded, Harper turned to us, smirking as he held up a photograph of myself and Alex intertwined in an intimate embrace

“You know,” he began “this would almost be pretty if it weren’t for the fact that one of them is an alien”

“Colonel!” Lucy snapped “I must protest this! Agent Danvers and Agent In-ze’s personal lives are not at issue here!”

“You’re not in command here, Lane!” Harper snapped “Marines! Secure the prisoner Astra In-ze!” he ordered, two Marines swiftly approached and restrained me

“Where are you taking them?!” Kara demanded

“The same place as your little green friend,” Harper answered as he began to march us down the corridor “Project Cadmus”


	3. Midnight Ride

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The journey to Cadmus is long and dark...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! Here's another update to Part Seven of What we are! Enjoy :=)

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**Alex**

By the time Harper had marched Astra and I outside it was already mid-afternoon. A semi was parked outside, looking out of place amongst the humvees and other military vehicles

“All right,” Harper bellowed out “I want the lovebirds separated, I want the Kryptonian in the truck with the Martian and Danvers in a chase car a quarter of a mile back, civilian vehicles _only!_ ”

“Yes, sir!” four Marines came over; two grabbed Astra and led her over to the semi, while the other two led me to a waiting SUV. I caught a glimpse of J’onn already shackled to a bench inside the trailer as they led Astra inside and shackled her to a bench opposite J’onn, Harper climbing after her and disappearing inside the trailer. Astra glanced over at me as the door swung shut, her face completely blank and seemingly emotionless, a defensive mechanism she no doubt developed in Fort Rozz out of necessity, but there was a message in her eyes

 _I’ll be all right_ she was saying, I tried to convey that same message with my own eyes as the door to the trailer slammed shut, and I wondered if this was the last time that I’d see her

“Inside, watch your head” one of the Marines ordered, nudging me into the backseat of the SUV. As I was secured I noticed the semi start up and start to drive up, I sent a silent prayer to whatever god was listening that they’d be all right, that J’onn and Astra both would get out of this all right.

“Prisoner’s secure, sir” one Marine said, saluting

“Very good, Sergeant,” a familiar voice said “I’ll take over from here,” I looked up, stunned as the other man drew a gun and swiftly shot the poor sergeant in the head, coldly executing him. He turned to me, smirking “nighty-night!” he hissed, swiftly pressing a taser to my neck…  
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**Kara**

I tried to keep it together as I marched into James’ office at CatCo. I jerked to a stop at the sight of Lucy standing there with James

“You!” I spat “what the hell is she doing here?!”

“Kara...,” James said slowly “now, calm down, Lucy’s only trying to--”

“Where are they?!” I demanded, I lunged and pinned Lucy against the wall “tell me!!!”

“I don’t know, OK?!” she yelled, even as James tried to pull me off her “I don’t know what Harper was talking about, Project Cadmus is just a myth, it’s an urban legend, something only conspiracy nuts talk about when they’re mad at the government”

“Project Cadmus?” James asked “are you _sure_ that’s where Harper said he’s taking them?”

“Positive,” I growled as I slowly let Lucy down “that’s what he said, Project Cadmus”

“Wait a minute,” Lucy groaned “are you _actually_ trying to tell me that Project Cadmus is _real?_ That it actually exists?”

“What do you know about it?” I asked, she shrugged

“Just rumor, that it’s some kind of…genetic engineering lab,” she glanced at James “what do _you_ know about it?” he sighed

“It’s the reason that Superman won’t work with the government” he explained, Lucy and glanced at each other, worried

“OK, so I’m guessing that it’s not a five star resort,” I began “so what is it?” James sighed

“It’s—OK, look if the DEO is an alien prison, then Project Cadmus is a dissection lab,” he explained “like Lucy said, they’re a genetic engineering lab who treat aliens like lab rats. Amputations, skinned, drained, injected with experimental drugs”

“Why would they do that?” I wondered, my stomach twisting, Lucy sighed

“Weaponizing alien abilities for military purposes,” she explained “what do they do with humans?” she asked, James shook his head

“I don’t know, nothing good I can imagine” I took a breath

“Does my cousin know where it is?” I asked, James shook his head again

“No, no one does” I turned to Lucy

“Do you know where they’re taking Astra and J’onn?” she shook her head

“No. But give me a few hours and I can find out,” she gave me a small smile “look, believe what you want to believe about me right now, Kara, but know this, I would _never_ tell Harper about Astra and Alex, never, I have no idea how he found out about them”

“What about J’onn?” I asked “you seemed pretty eager to convince him back there”

“All a show for Harper’s benefit,” she explained “a lot people think I’m like my father, that I share his views on aliens, I don’t, if you and Alex say that J’onn J’onzz is not a threat then I believe you” I nodded slowly

“All right” I finally said, she nodded

“OK, give me a few hours and I’ll see if I track down that truck”  
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**Astra**

I wasn’t sure how long we’d been traveling, if Harper’s watch—the only timepiece in the truck—was accurate then we’d been on the road for at least half a day, so it was probably past nightfall already. I tugged on my cuffs, as did J’onn, but the stasis field generator Harper had in his hand had effectively nullified our powers

“And when we get to Cadmus,” Harper continued his lengthy monologue to J’onn “I’m going to find out how you overcome people’s minds, how you steal their bodies, you know, what makes you tick”

“You’re going to dissect us” J’onn spat out bluntly. Harper sneered at him

“Cadmus is not some…Area 51 house of horrors _Martian_. It’s a necessary place. A place where we can unlock secrets to save American lives, _human_ lives”

“So, American lives are more valuable than others?” I wondered, Harper slowly turned to glower at me

“I’m protecting the world” he said, I scoffed

“You’re _pathetic_ ,” I spat “you’re no savior, all you are is a butcher who uses fear and paranoia to justify murder and torture. No better than Henshaw” I smirked when his scowl deepened, obviously Hemshaw was a sore spot for him

“Hank Henshaw,” he began “was my best friend; he died protecting his country from monsters like you”

“I’ve met victims of Henshaw’s cruelty,” I replied “they say that the ‘lucky ones’ _died_ ”

“What do you know about ‘cruelty’?” he sneered “you’re not even human” I chuckled

“Do you know what you are, _Jim?_ ” I saw a muscle in his jaw twitch at my use of his first name “you’re a child. You’re the boy who steps on insects because it makes you feel big, makes you feel important, I’ve seen vagrants on the street with more ‘humanity’ than you will ever have. You _disgust_ me. You’re not even worth spitting on”

“And you’re a traitor,” he sneered “so get comfy, _General_ , because you belong to Cadmus now” there was a sudden crackle of static from the radio at his belt

“ _Sir, we’ve got two bogies_ ”

“Take ‘em out!” Harper ordered. The truck suddenly swerved and weaved as the driver no doubt tried to evade our pursuers, the three us grunted as we were swung around. Harper grunted as he was swiftly unseated, losing his grip on the stasis field generator. J’onn and glanced at it, both of us thinking the same thing. Harper lunged for the device just as the truck swung the opposite direction, causing the device to slide forward even as Harper was thrown into a wall. With a grunt Harper lunged for it again, only to crush it under his own boot

“Thank you, Colonel,” I breathed as J’onn and I simultaneously broke free of our shackles and advanced on him “you’ve been most helpful” Harper backed away from us, cowering in fear as J’onn swiftly pinned him to the wall. He relieved Harper of his sidearm, passing it back to me without a word, before turning Harper around

“Do it, do it, Martian!” Harper goaded “be a monster. Prove me right!”

“J’onn…” I warned

“Relax,” he assured me “I’ve gotten better at this,” he turned back to Harper “I’m not going to kill you, Colonel, I’m just going to make you _forget_ what happened here tonight” he placed a hand on Harper’s head, his eyes glowing a brilliant red. Harper grunted and jerked, trying and obviously failing to resist J’onn’s telepathy. With a shout, J’onn suddenly tore himself away from Harper, throwing himself against the wall, gasping for breath

“J’onn!” I gripped his arm “what is it?” he took a breath, clearly unnerved by the whole experience

“I, uh, I saw into Harper’s mind,” he began shakily “I saw…him”

“Who?” he looked up at me, a haunted expression clouding his face

“ _Henshaw_ ,” he whispered “Hank Henshaw,” he glanced back at Harper’s limp form “they’re working together, they planned this” the doors suddenly swung open, two figures in black, motorcycle helmets obscuring their faces, approached us. One of them quickly removed their helmet, revealing themselves to be Kara

“Are you OK?” she asked frantically

“We’re all right,” I answered as her partner unmasked themselves “Major” I acknowledged, Lucy nodded back

“General” she acknowledged

“What is it?” Kara asked “what’s wrong?”  
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**Alex**

I came back to awareness suddenly, there was no slow waking up, just, boom, I was painfully awake. Everything hurt; my whole body ached and burned, probably from the taser. Slowly rolling up into a sitting position (which made my head pound and my stomach churn) I took in my surroundings, I was in what looked like a basement of some sort. Everything was dank and dingy, like what you might find in a condemned building, I could smell saltwater, so I was near water I knew that much

“Welcome back” I sat up, my whole body tensing, ready to fight and flee at any second

“You” I growled out, Hank Henshaw—the _real_ Hank Henshaw—chuckled and gave me the once over

“Look at you, Jeremiah’s little girl all grown up”

“I guess it’s true what they say about cockroaches, they always survive” I spat, to his credit, Henshaw didn’t take the bait, instead he just nodded

“I survived,” he confirmed “no thanks to that bleeding heart farther of yours, who decided that that, that… _thing_ from Mars was worth dying for”

“That ‘thing’ is a more honorable man then you’ll ever be” I told him, I glanced around, spotting what looked a workman’s table, tools scattered across it’s surface, including a turned down, but not off, blowtorch

“That thing stole my life!” he hissed, his composure cracking “and you’re _just like_ your father, a soft, weak, bleeding heart who thinks that these alien scum are our friends,” his lips twisted in clear disgust “you even brought one into your bed” he sneered

“So, you’re the one who took that photo and gave it to Harper” I reasoned, he scoffed

“Jim’s an idiot,” he dismissed, no argument there “he thinks that it came from some CIA operative, no clue that I’m still here”

“You won’t be here for long!” I lunged, grabbing the blowtorch and waving it across his face, his left eye specially. He yelled in surprise and stumbled back, but them his hand shot out and gripped my arm, holding me there as the flame on his face died down. I shivered as I saw the wound, except his face wasn’t burned, not in the usual way anyway, instead of blood, his left eye and part of the eye socket glittered and shimmered silver

Metal

That was how he survived; he’d been given cybernetic implants, rebuilt like Steve Austin. He grinned at me as he tightened his grip on my arm

“My turn,” he suddenly, and easily, lifted me up and flung me across the room like a rag doll, I hit the far wall _hard_ with a bone-jarring thud “Hank Henshaw is _dead!_ ” he spat out as he advanced on me “I’m Cyborg”  
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**Astra**

“How is he still alive?” Kara demanded as Lucy and J’onn finished restraining the driver and the other solider along with Harper

“I don’t know,” I admitted “but what worries me is the fact that Alex isn’t here” I stated

“You’re absolutely sure he said that she’d be in a chase car a quarter of a mile back?” Lucy asked as she and J’onn came over

“Positive” I replied

“OK, so that means that something happened to her between Harper loading the two of you in here and now” she reasoned as Kara’s cell phone rang

“It’s Alex!” she exclaimed

“Wait,” Lucy held up a hand “put it on speaker” she instructed, Kara nodded

“Hello?”

“ _Hello, Supergirl_ ” a familiar voice rasped out, it was strange it sounded like J’onn’s voice, but it clearly wasn’t, the tone was different, the cadence, there was more…contempt in Henshaw’s voice than in J’onn’s, as if every word was sneered out

“Where is Alex?” Kara demanded

“ _Your sister’s right here,_ ” Henshaw replied “ _and she’s fine for the moment, now tell me, is General Astra there?_ ” I took the phone from Kara

“Speak” I ordered

“ _General Astra In-ze,_ ” he chuckled “ _you know, your girlfriend here’s been telling me an awful lot about you,_ ” he gloated “ _about your sister, about Fort Rozz, about how she can make you whimper if she kisses you in_ just _the right spot”_

“What do you want?” I demanded, stamping down the unease I felt at how Henshaw was able to get such intimate knowledge “this obviously isn’t a social call”

“ _You want your girlfriend back? You can find her down at the National City Docks, Port 42,_ ” he explained “ _and General? Come alone_ ” there was a click as he abruptly ended the call

“You’re not seriously going there are you?” Lucy demanded as I handed back the phone “it’s probably a trap!” she exclaimed

“ _Of course_ it’s a trap,” I sighed “but I can’t take the chance,” I explained “Kara? I’ll bring her back”

“I know” she said simply as I took off…  
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

**Astra**

Port 42 was a disused part of the docks, having been abandoned for decades, trash and the rusted hulks of heavy machinery now littered the area, and many parts of the port had been closed off to the public

Put simply, it was the perfect place for a hostage exchange

I landed in the relative middle of the port, the rusted remains of a crane standing silently next to me

“Astra!” Alex’s voice called out to my left, I turned, pausing at the sight of her a few feet away. She was dressed in some type of armor or battlesuit of some sort, I could see the glow of kryptonite surrounding her arms, chest, and legs

“Hello, Hank” I greeted, Alex’s lips pulled back into a smirk

“Figured you were a smart one” she rasped

“I’m impressed; I didn’t think a human would be capable of replicating Myriad, even on a small scale, and in so short a time,” I commented “I’m assuming that your friend Colonel Harper fed you the blueprints?”

“Impressive, anything else?” Henshaw wondered

“You chose Alex as your puppet in order to get some type of…spiritual revenge on Jeremiah Danvers, hurt him by forcing his daughter to do your biding”

“Not bad,” Henshaw commented “seems almost a shame to kill you,” he added, Alex’s hand moved back, drawing a kryptonite sword from behind her back “recognize this?” Henshaw taunted “it’s the kryptonite sword she was going to use to kill you, too bad she couldn’t finish the job. Maybe she’ll have better luck this time”

“She’s stronger than you think, Henshaw” I warned

“We’ll see about that” we took off at a sprint, leaping into the air as we charged towards each other…


	4. Their Darkest Hour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In their darkest hour, can their love save them both?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double update!

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

And the only solution was to stand and fight  
And my body was loose and I was set alight  
But she came over me like some holy rite  
And although I was burning, you’re the only light  
Only if for a night

\--Florence + the Machine: “Only If For a Night”  
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**Astra**

In battle, there are moments when time seems to slow down, when everything seems to move at an infinitesimal pace. I watched as if underwater as Alex’s hand swung to the side, the blade of the sword slicing across my side as we both tumbled and landed in opposite directions. Alex spun on her heel, raising an arm; I flew up, narrowly avoiding the blast of kryptonite that flew from the suit’s gauntlet. For a moment I merely floated there as Henshaw marched her body forward, twisting the sword

“Get down here and fight me!” he bellowed through Alex’s lips, I shook my head

“No. I won’t be part of this insanity”

“You don’t have a choice!” Henshaw spat out, the venom palpable in his voice “fight Alex or let her kill you,” her lips twisted in a cruel, mocking grin “either way, you _lose_ , Kryptonian”

“So be it” I shot down, barreling towards her, arcing up and over her as she swung the sword down and forward like a club, I landed awkwardly, twisting and rolling up onto my feet as Alex lunged, the blade whistling through the air. I ducked, grabbing at her arm only to pull back at the icy burn of the kryptonite

“Alex, you can fight this!” I gasped out “you’re stronger than this! Fight him!”

“She can’t hear you, alien” she swung a leg back and delivered a hard kick to my abdomen, knocking me back, I awkwardly got to my hands and knees, frantically scurrying away as the sword clattered on the pavement as Alex brought it down again with the intent to hack me to pieces. She suddenly reared back, leaping up and bringing sword down, I rolled, barely avoiding being impaled at the sword buried itself halfway up the blade into the pavement.

I rolled to my feet and franticly looked around for a weapon of some sort, spying a large piece of steel, I lunged, lifting it and advancing on Alex even as she finally wrenched the blade free. If I could bind her, hold her, then I could---she suddenly raised an arm, the suit’s gantlet firing off another blast of kryptonite. The concussion of the blast hurled me about six feet away where I landed in a sprawl on the ground “time for you to die,” I looked up, watching with a kind of morbid fascination as Alex marched towards me “you and the rest of your alien scum! Once you’re dead, then your niece goes, then the Martian,” she loomed over me, holding the sword up high, ready to plunge it down into my body “if you see Jeremiah on the other side,” Henshaw began, clearly unable to resist gloating over his victory “you can tell him he _failed!!_ ”

“Alex! _Stop!!_ ” I looked up to see J’onn and Kara land behind Alex, Eliza Danvers in between them. Alex slowly turned

“Well, well, Eliza Danvers,” Henshaw rasped “all in the family I see,” she turned to J’onn “like looking in a mirror isn’t, Martian?” he taunted

“You tell me” J’onn sneered, Alex let out a chuckle

“All this time, you were supposed to protect her,” Henshaw taunted “too bad you failed, now her family gets to watch” she turned back to me, sword at the ready

“Alex!” Eliza marched forward “you can beat this!” she snarled out, Alex stopped, turning back to face her, some part of her fighting back against Henshaw’s control “I know you can, you’re not going to hurt Astra, you’re not going to hurt me, Alex we are a _family_ , stronger together. Alex, you are the strongest of us all, look at what you’ve done,” she gestured to me “you reformed Astra, you gave her her life, her soul, back, _you_ did that, not Kara, _you_. Your father always said that you were the best of us, that you were the kind of person other people should try to be like, I know he’s watching over you, I know he’d be so proud of the person you’ve become,” she held out a hand towards Alex imploringly “ _so, please,_ ” she whispered tearfully “come back to us, sweetie”

“Mom?” Alex asked softly, I saw the relief on Eliza’s face as she gasped

“Yes” she whispered, Alex jerked, looking around confused, finally deactivating the kryptonite emitters on the suit and hurling the sword away. With the kryptonite gone, Kara rushed over to me, helping me to my feet as Alex collapsed into her mother’s arms

“I’m sorry,” she whispered “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean it!”

“It’s all right” Eliza soothed as she gently turned Alex to face me. She couldn’t meet my eyes I noticed as she pulled me into an embrace, sobbing into my shoulder

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”

“It’s all right, love,” I whispered as I stroked her hair “it’s all right,” I pulled away and firmly grasped her face “it wasn’t your fault, all right? That was him and him alone, you have nothing to apologize for” I told her firmly

“But, I—” I shook my head

“That was him and him alone,” I repeated, I frowned as I felt something on the back of the suit “Alex, turn around” I instructed, as she did I felt my blood go cold

“What is it?” she asked

“The suit,” I explained “apparently it’s also a bomb”


	5. Battlelines

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Henshaw wants a war, they'll give him war

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Triple update!!

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**Astra**

“How much time do we have?” Alex asked

“I don’t know, there’s no counter” I explained

“Damn it,” J’onn swore as he came around behind Alex “there’s enough C-4 attached to this thing to level a city block”

“Can’t you just take off the suit?” Kara asked, reaching for it

“No!” I grabbed her arm “we don’t know what kind of failsafe Henshaw has put in place here, the bomb could be rigged to explode if we try to remove the suit”

“And with the amount of kryptonite I’m wearing, it could kill both of you if it goes” Alex noted grimly

“Then what do we do?!” Kara demanded, on the verge of hysterics

“We disarm it,” I said simply, I glanced up at Eliza and Kara “I suppose it would be foolish of me to ask you both to leave?”

“We’re staying” Eliza said firmly

“I thought as much” 

“How much experience do you have disarming explosives?” J’onn asked me

“Much, but none like this, I have no idea what I’m doing” I answered

“Wait,” Alex said suddenly “when I was under Handsaw’s control I saw him put this suit together, I might be able to disarm it”

“But you can’t see it” Kara pointed out, Alex looked back over her shoulder at me, grinning

“Then I guess you’ll have to do it” she said, I couldn’t help but grin back

“All right,” I began “I need something sharp to cut the wires”

“I got it,” Kara shot over to the still silent crane behind us and returned holding a small shard of glass “will this do?” she asked as she handed it to me

“That’ll fine,” I replied “all right, Alex, listen closely, I have three wires in front me, one red, one blue, one black, the blue and red wires go up from the C-4 to the neck of the suit, the black wire travels horizontally between two blocks”

“OK, uh, try to move the two blocks connected by the black wire” she instructed, I carefully pulled the blocks apart, letting out a breath when nothing happened

“Done, I can now see, damn, more than a dozen wires in front of me, all leading in various different directions”

“OK, uh…try to find the red and blue wires that are leading up to my neck” I carefully ran my fingers along the two wires, finding that they disappeared into the maze of the wires

“I can’t see where they lead, hold on,” I x-rayed through the suit, following the wires, grinning at what I found “Alex? I just found the detonator”

“OK, now we have to cut one of those wires, and hope that the one we cut doesn’t trigger an explosion” J’onn explained

“Yes, thank you, I know,” I grumbled as I carefully worked the shard of glass in between the small space between the two blocks of C-4 “there might be a failsafe built in that’ll start a secondary countdown,” I warned “Kara, when I cut these wires I want you to tear this thing off her and throw it as far as you can and then run” I instructed

“Got it” Kara reached out, gripping the bomb at the top and bottom, ready to tear it off at a moment’s notice, I nodded

“All right, J’onn, I want you to get Eliza and ready to run”

“ ** _Understood_** ” he replied, already shifting back into his true form, I was pleased to see that Eliza looked more amazed than fearful at the sight of him as he wrapped an arm around her waist, ready to take to the sky

“Hey, what about me?” Alex asked

“Don’t worry, love,” I told her “I’ll take you. All right, is everyone ready?”

“Ready” Kara answered

“ ** _Ready_** ” J’onn answered

“All right,” I slid the shard under the wires “on my count. One….two…three!” I cut the wires, almost instantly there was a spark and the smell of ozone as a circuit activated “Kara! NOW!” in a blur Kara ripped the bomb off Alex and hurled it away, while I grabbed Alex and flew straight up, J’onn and Kara taking off as soon as I did. The explosion ripped through the port in a spectacular display of pyrotechnics, rippling out in a massive fireball that obliterated half the structures and most of the port itself instantly, the concussion wave struck all four of us, sending us tumbling in the air, as J’onn and I struggled to remain a hold on our precious cargo.

I grunted as I hit the ground, Alex lying in an undignified sprawl onto top of me

“Everyone OK?” Alex asked franticly, looking around “Mom?! Kara?! J’onn?!”

“We’re all right!” Eliza’s voice called out in the distance, through the haze of smoke and ash I could see her coming towards, supporting J’onn

“Are you all right?” I asked them, Eliza nodded

“I’m a little rattled, but I’ll be OK” I glanced over at J’onn, knowing that fire and heat were the one thing that could seriously hurt him

“J’onn?” I asked, he nodded weakly

“ ** _I’ll live_** ” he announced as she shifted into Hank Henshaw, an ironic form considering, I thought, although Alex didn’t appear to be fazed by his appearance at all

“Where’s Kara?” she demanded

“I’m over here!” looking around we finally spotted her up a tree of all places

“How did you get up there?” Alex wondered

“I was thrown here, how do you _think_ I got up here?!” she spat, annoyed as she tore her way out and softly landed in front of us “so, now what?” she asked “what’s the plan?”

“We go on the offensive,” I explained “Henshaw wants a war? We will give him one”

“I’ll make sure Eliza gets home safely” J’onn explained

“No, wait,” Alex said “he knows where she lives, he knows she’s involved now, it’s not safe”

“Then what do you suggest?” I asked, she turned to me and smirked…  
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**Astra**

“Winn’s?” Kara asked as we landed on the fire escape outside Winn’s apartment, J’onn and Eliza remaining floating above us due to lack of space

“I’ve only been here once,” Alex explained “I don’t know anything about the layout of the building and besides, since Henshaw’s turned into a cyborg, we could use an expert in computers”

“Let’s just hope he’s all right” Kara muttered as she knocked on the window, there was a shuffling sound and the window opened, Winn blinking at us

“Kara?” he asked “what…?” he blinked and looked between each of us, his eyes widening as he realized what was going on “get inside!” he hissed “come on!” the three us awkwardly climbed inside, Alex having the most difficulty due to the battlesuit she was still wearing

“Why are we keeping that thing?” Kara wondered

“Because we could use it” Alex explained as J’onn and Eliza climbed in

“OK, what is going on?!” Winn hissed “the last thing I heard you three had all been arrested, and—Alex, what are you wearing?”

“Later,” I dismissed “wake Lucy” he shifted uncomfortably

“What, uh, what makes you think that she’s here?” he asked, I sighed

“Winn, you practically _reek_ of her perfume, there is lipstick on your collar, and I can hear someone breathing from the bedroom. _Wake her_. Now!”

“Yeah, right,” he backed away “I’ll just go, wake her up” he hurried out of the room. Alex and Kara turned to me, wide-eyed

“They’re dating?” Kara squeaked

“I don’t know,” Alex began as the sound of someone quietly cursing came from the bedroom “she’s better than Siobhan” a rumpled Lucy Lane (wearing one of Winn’s shirts no less) shuffled out of the bedroom and stared at us

“Oh, this is perfect,” she exclaimed “now I can add harboring fugitives to my list of charges”

“Nice to see you too, Lane” Alex muttered, Lucy grinned and swiftly pulled her into a hug

“Good to see you’re in one piece,” she said as she pulled away “so, why are you guys here?”

“We need somewhere to lay low and regroup,” Alex explained “Henshaw obviously isn’t finished yet”

“Well, J’onn’s still here, so I guess you guys got away?” Winn asked, Lucy turned to him, wide-eyed

“You know?” she demanded “when were you planning on telling me?!”

“I don’t know, sometime,” Winn argued “maybe if we actually went on an actual date instead of…,” he frantically waved his hands between the two of them “…this!”

“So, you knew, you knew about J’onn J’onzz?!” she demanded

“All right, that’s enough!” I bellowed “you can argue later, right now there is a madman out there who fully intends to kill J’onn and myself and Kara, and whoever gets in his way”

“So, what do you need us to do?” Lucy asked, still glowering at Winn

“We need a plan” Alex sighed

“Alex, what are you wearing?” Lucy asked, Alex sighed and quickly explained what had happened with Henshaw

“So, wait a minute,” Winn began “you’re saying that somebody…put him back together, like Steve Austin?” Alex nodded

“He’s stronger, faster, probably as strong as a Kryptonian, or at least close to it” she explained

“This doesn’t make sense,” Lucy complained “why go after Alex first? Why not just kill the alien that stole his life?” she frowned at J’onn “no offense” she added

“None taken,” he replied easily “but you’re right, Major, it doesn’t make sense, why make Alex fight Astra instead of just detonating that bomb?”

“Maybe that’s it” Winn muttered

“What’s it?” Kara asked, Winn looked startled

“Oh, uh, I was just thinking that, you know, maybe part of Hank’s plan is, you know, divide and conquer”

“What do you mean?” I asked

“Well, OK, Alex, now he killed you father right?” she nodded “your Dad died trying to save J’onn’s life, right? And he made you fight Astra because he knows that you’re in love?” again Alex and I nodded “so, maybe he’s trying to use that against you, he wants you to hate each other, all of us, he thinks that humans and aliens can’t possibly work together, that if we tried we’d end up killing each other, that we’re all too different”

“So, what do you suggest we do?” Lucy asked, he grinned

“We fight back,” he explained “strength in numbers, we use our differences _together_ , as a team”

“Winn,” I began “did I ever tell you that you would make a great general?” he chuckled

“Uh, thanks, I think”

“All right,” Alex began “now, all we have to do is find Henshaw”

“I can do that,” I said as I pulled out my cell phone, dialing one of my contacts

“ _Sawyer_ ”

“Maggie, it’s Astra, listen I need a favor”

“ _OK,_ ” she replied slowly “ _what kind of favor?_ ”

“I need you to access the surveillance cameras around the city and find someone for me,” I explained “I’m sending you a photograph right now,” I quickly took a picture of J’onn—still in human form—and e-mailed it to Maggie

“ _Huh, good lookin’ guy,_ :” Maggie commented, she sighed “ _why do I get the feeling that I’ll sleep better tonight if I don’t know what this is about?_ ”

“How long will it take?” I asked

“ _Uh, a few hours at best, I’ll call you back once I get a hit_ ” she replied

“Thank you, Maggie”

“ _Anytime_ ” I hung up and turned back to the others

“It’ll take time for her to find him” I explained

“Do you trust her?” J’onn asked, I nodded

“I do”

“All right,” Alex said “next order of business, Winn, can you get the kryptonite out of this suit?”

“Uh, yeah, I mean I can try anyway” he stood up and dug around under a cabinet, emerging holding a toolbox

“All right, people,” J’onn began, looking around the room “let’s get started”


	6. Dragon's Teeth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Astra and J'onn discuss Cadmus

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Here's a short update to Part Seven of What we are, hope you enjoy it :=)

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**Astra**

“J’onn?” I climbed out onto the fire escape, the sun had already risen at least two hours previously, bathing the city in a brilliant light, there were a few clouds in the sky, blocking out the harshness of the sun. It made for a nice day, one where people could go out and enjoy a day in the park for example, hardly the kind of day one would expect be the eve of battle

“How’s your side?” he asked 

“Already healed,” I replied “now, what is troubling you?” he sighed

“When I saw into Harper’s mind, I saw what Cadmus is, what they do,” he explained “unlike the DEO, Cadmus is divided into different cells, individual units with their own separate chain of command and their own agenda, there’s very little oversight, little accountability, they answer to virtually no one but a select few”

“You think that they’re a bigger threat than we feared” I reasoned, he nodded grimly

“I think that they’re an even bigger threat than Faora and Myriad,” he stated “because they’re like a cult, they draw people in, people like Harper, who from what I saw was once a good man, and lure them in with the idea that they’re protecting the planet”

“And since aliens have no legal rights in the United States,” I began “they can rationalize torture as experimentation on animals” he nodded

“I wonder why they call themselves ‘Cadmus’” he mused, I chuckled

“I’m surprised you don’t know that one,” I commented “Cadmus was a hero from Greek myth, he founded the city of Thebes, he did so by slaying a dragon and sowing its teeth like seeds, from those teeth out sprung an army of warriors, Cadmus threw a rock amongst their number and caused them to turn on each other, until only five remained, who helped him build the city” I explained

“Sowing dragon’s teeth” he mused, I nodded

“Project Cadmus’ ultimate goal no doubt, an army of soldiers, each with the powers of half a dozen different species, yours and mine included, with them, Cadmus could conceivably take over this planet” J’onn shook his head

“I don’t think so,” he began “from what I saw in Harper’s mind these people honestly believe that all aliens are a threat, that our very presence here is a declaration of war against humanity”

“Then it’s salvation they strive for,” I reasoned “on their terms”

“I’ve seen that kind of ‘salvation’ first hand,” J’onn remarked darkly “speaking both as an alien and as someone who’s lived as black man for fifteen years”

“So have I,” I nodded “ _’ech ta’bo, re, Kryptonian, wa’_ ,” I recited “roughly translated as ‘Kryptonians go home’,” I explained, my cell phone suddenly rang “it’s Maggie,” I identified “Maggie?”

“ _Found your boy_ ” she answered


	7. All's Fair in Love and War

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang faces down with Henshaw

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ha! Multiple update! And we're almost at the end here, only a few more chapters, if that, and then it's onto Part Eight

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The dog days are over  
The dog days are done  
Can you hear the horses?  
‘Cause here they come

\--Florence + the Machine: “Dog Days Are Over”  
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**Alex**

“All right, everybody clear on what they have to do?” I asked, everyone else nodded “Kara?”

“Eliza’s already hunkering down at James’ place,” she explained “we’re ready” I nodded

“Winn?”

“Got the drones all ready to go, we should have a nice three sixty view of the place, so, hopefully, no surprises”

“All right. Lucy?”

“I’ll stay here and monitor the drone feeds, make sure nobody gets killed” she nodded

“Astra?” I asked

“Maggie and Susan have already cleared the area as quietly as possible, so civilian causalities should be minimal” she explained

“If they ever get married, I’m paying for the wedding” Kara muttered, the rest of us chuckled

“All right,” I began “let’s do this”  
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**Kara**

We found Hensahw in the park. You heard me, at the park. When I flew in he was just sitting there, reading the paper. He slowly looked up as I landed, smirking as he put the paper down and took off the sunglasses he was wearing, ew, Alex wasn’t kidding about the Terminator look

“Hello, Kryptonian” he hissed

“So, you going to come quietly or am I going to have to knock on your butt?” I asked, he chuckled as he slowly stood up, I shivered as he opened his jacket, he was wearing some kind of vest which had a big chunk of kryptonite in the center, he stopped, frowning when he realized that the kryptonite wasn’t affecting me. I grinned and tapped my chest

“Kryptonite inhibitor suit,” I explained “courtesy of my aunt”

“Well,” Henshaw rasped out “guess we’ll just have to do this the old fashioned way,” he suddenly lunged, catching me off guard as he punched me in the gut. As I doubled over, he grabbed a fistful of my hair and swung me around like a tether ball, slamming me into a tree. I staggered to my feet, getting in a good punch to his jaw, before he grabbed my arm and actually punched me with my own hand “funny,” he hissed as he slammed my head into the ground “I expected better from you” I looked up at him, grinning

“Maybe that’s just ‘cause I’m the distraction” he suddenly went flying as Alex slammed into him like a linebacker, using the same suit that Henshaw put her in, only this time the kryptonite had been taken out. She reached down and helped me to my feet as Henshaw got back to his own feet

“Danvers!” he spat out, Alex grinned at him

“Remember me?” she taunted, Henshaw let out snarl as an old homeless woman suddenly slammed into him, knocking him senseless. She stood up, tearing off her hat, revealing long dark hair with a streak of white in it

“You should be more aware of your surroundings, Hank” Astra warned as she tore off the rest of the disguise, her Military Guild uniform underneath

“So,” Henshaw hissed as he staggered to his feet “you’re all in this together”

“Surprised?” Astra mocked “you see our differences as weaknesses, they’re not, they are what give us strength, we stand united in our diversity” she explained

“Three against one, not exactly fair, is it?” he sneered, Astra smirked as she glanced at us, Alex on her left, me on her right

“You of all people should know that life isn’t fair” she told him as we all charged, three against one, Alex and Astra both grabbing him and pushing him back while I tried to grab him a headlock. I say tried because he suddenly spun around, swinging Alex into me, knocking us to the ground. With a growl, he tore the kryptonite inhibitor off Astra’s chest, crushing it like an egg; she choked and gagged, falling to the ground, weakened by the massive chunk of kryptonite he still had pinned to his chest

“Nice try” Henshaw growled as he grabbed her by the throat

“Hey! Henshaw!” we turned to see Winn swung a baseball bat into Henshaw’s head, which actually didn’t _do_ anything really, expect maybe just make him madder, I mean the bat broke in two when it hit Henshaw’s head

“I know you,” Henshaw growled out as he dropped Astra “Winslow Schott, Jr.,” he chuckled as he swung back a hand, ready to backhand Winn across the face “this is _too_ easy” Winn grinned as he suddenly _phased_ through Hensahw, knocking him senseless and tearing off the kryptonite as he did

“Martian!” Henshaw hissed as he got to his feet

“ ** _Strength in numbers, Henshaw_** ” J’onn told him as he transformed out of Winn’s form

“Not bad,” I commented as he joined us “you even had me fooled,” I turned back to Henshaw, who looked like he was starting to realize that he might not win this one “now it’s fair” I said. Astra suddenly charged, slamming into Henshaw and carrying him _through_ two parked cars, leaving a trail of fire behind them, Alex, J’onn and I followed, piling onto Henshaw, each of us trying to get in a punch in this weird, running fight down the street. Finally Alex, J’onn, and I cornered Henshaw in an alleyway, J’onn grabbed him from behind in a half nelson and twisted him around, struggling to hold him still, while Alex and I each grabbed one of his arms

“Astra! Now!” Alex bellowed. Astra grabbed a piece of the wreckage—a long, pointy piece of metal—from one of the two car she just demolished and charged, running Henshaw through, skewering him

“Now _that_ ,” Alex hissed as he jerked and kicked, a bit of what looked like blood dribbling out of the corner of his mouth “that should kill you” she let go, watching as he dropped to the ground, twitching

“ _Everybody OK?_ ” Lucy asked over our comms. 

“We’re OK” I panted out

“ _Good, Winn’s been monitoring a signal coming from your area_ ” she explained

“What kind of signal?” Alex asked

“ _I’m not sure,_ ” Winn answered “ _but I’d say that someone’s been watching you guys_ ”

“Cadmus,” Astra snarled, she reached down, yanking Henshaw up, staring into his eyes, which were flickering like a bad TV reception “can you see me?” she hissed “can you hear me? I hope you can, because you found your war. I hope you enjoy it, because this is not over,” she warned “this is only the beginning”


	8. Run

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Absence makes the heart grow fonder

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are, the final chapter of Part Seven, now onto Part Eight, stay tuned :=)

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Run fast for your mother, run fast for your father  
Run for your children, for your sisters and brothers  
Leave all your loving, your loving behind  
You can’t carry it with you if you want to survive

\--Florence + the Machine: “Dog Days Are Over”  
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**Alex**

“OK,” I sighed as I closed the door to my apartment “Kara’s dropping mom off at home and…” I stopped at the sight of Astra packing a bag, J’onn standing nearby with a backpack slung over his shoulder “you’re running, aren’t you?” I asked softly

“We’re fugitives, Alex,” Astra reminded me gently “we can’t stay here. As long as Cadmus is out there, we can’t afford to endanger you or Kara,” she explained “we have to,” she sighed and reached out, gently cupping my face “oh, you brave, beautiful human,” she whispered “before I met you I’d forgotten what living meant, you showed me how to live again, and I can never thank you enough for that, love” I reached up, pulling her into a kiss, trying to pour everything I felt for her into this one action

“You come back,” I whispered as I pulled away “you hear me? You come back, I don’t care when, I don’t care how, but you come back” Astra gave me a bittersweet smile as she held out something to me, a rounded flat disc. I stared at it “your spy beacon?”

“Keep it safe for me?” she asked, gently placing it me hand and curling my fingers around it, I nodded “keep it secret”

“Don’t worry, Alex,” J’onn assured me as he shifted into his true form “ ** _she’ll be all right_** ”

“I know,” I said tearfully as Astra opened the window “she has you”

“Alex?” she asked softly “don’t say ‘good bye’,” she requested “if you say good bye I’ll never leave”

“I love you” I said instead, she smiled

“I love you too” and then they were gone. I sank down on my couch, the apartment felt…empty without Astra, I was already missing the way she’d fidget and twitch on the couch when we watched _Call the Midwife_. I sat up at the knock on the door

“Alex?” Kara’s voice called out

“It’s open” I called back, I cringed as I realized that Astra probably hadn’t told Kara about this

“Hey,” Kara said as she shut the door “so, where’s Astra? I thought we’d all go out and…,” she trailed off, her face falling “oh” she said softly, I nodded

“She wanted me to keep this safe for her” I explained, holding up the spy beacon as Kara came and sat down next to me

“Is she coming back?” she asked, I blinked as I realized that Astra hadn’t actually responded to me when I told her to come back

“I, I don’t know” I admitted, there was another knock at the door

“It’s Lucy” Kara said, I nodded as I stood up and opened the door. Lucy stood on the other side back in full dress uniform

“Are they gone?” she asked, I nodded

“Just left” I explained, she nodded

“I’m sorry, really” she said

“Thanks,” I said, I held out my hands “no point in wasting anymore time” she sighed and pulled out a pair of handcuffs, quietly snapping them onto my wrists

“What are you doing?” Kara demanded

“The government needs someone to blame,” Lucy explained “and if they have Alex than they’ll focus less on Astra and J’onn” Kara turned to stare at me, bug-eyed

“And you agreed to this?” she demanded

“I suggested it” I answered

“Come on,” Lucy said gently “I’ll make sure you get full visitation rights, Kara”  
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**Alex**

“Do you think they know it was us?” Kara asked as the three of us marched into the DEO, I was still in cuffs

“We’ll see” Lucy muttered

“Ten-HUT” the room stood at attention

“At ease” Lucy ordered, clearly uncomfortable

“Ma’am,” Vasquez called out “we’ve had bit of a—”

“Security breach, I know,” Lucy finished “what are we doing to re-apprehend the other two detainees?”

“Ma’am?” Susan echoed, and I wondered just how much she actually knew, I know she helped evacuate the park but did she and Maggie know _why_ they did it?

“What are Colonel Harper’s orders?” Lucy asked, Susan looked confused

“Uh, ma’am Colonel Harper just resigned and named the new acting Director of the DEO” she explained, the three of us blinked

“Who?” Lucy finally asked

“You” I watched as Lucy’s eyes nearly popped out her head

“A, are you sure?” she asked, Susan nodded

“Yes, he was quite adamant about your appointment” she explained

“I guess J’onn’s gotten better at that whole mind-control thing” Kara muttered, Lucy turned to us

“You’re going to help me with this, aren’t you?” she hissed

“Of course,” Kara insisted “this is where you belong”

“I’ll help too,” I pitched in “of course; I’ll be in a cell, but…”

“Ma’am?” Susan called out “there’s a bank robbery at 34th and Shubert, no alien activity, but I thought you might like to know”

“And you,” Lucy turned to Kara “belong out there” Kara gave her a little half smile and turned to me

“I’m not going anywhere,” I told her “go” with a woosh she took off

“Come on,” Lucy said softly, leading me down to the prisoner cells “I’m sorry” she said as the cell opened

“It’s all right, Lucy” I told her as I stepped up into the cell, the door sealing shut behind me

“Look,” Lucy sighed “I know this isn’t ideal, but I’ll try to—” she stopped suddenly mid-sentence

“You’ll try to what?” I asked “Lucy?” I watched as she turned on her heel and marched out “Lucy?” I called out, I watched as a line of agents passed by the doors to my cell in single file, all marching in perfect lockstep

Not good


End file.
